Traditional Wildflower Mead
Honey, water, yeast, and patience. The recipe every mead maker should brew first, because there is nowhere for flaws to hide.
Traditional Wildflower Mead is a semi-sweet traditional made with wildflower honey and Lalvin 71B yeast, fermented from an original gravity of 1.105 to 1.012 for about 12.2% ABV. It is drinkable in 6–9 months.
- Original gravity
- 1.105
- Final gravity
- 1.012
- ABV
- 12.2%
- Drinkable in
- 6–9 months
Ingredients
Amounts are for a 1-gallon batch.
| 3 lb | Wildflower honeyRaw and local if you can get it. |
| to volume | WaterSpring or dechlorinated, to 1 gallon total. |
| 2.5 g | Lalvin 71B yeastRehydrate in Go-Ferm per the packet. |
| 3 g | Fermaid-OSplit into four additions (see steps). |
Method
Mix the mustStir the honey into warm water until fully dissolved. Top up to volume, take a gravity reading, and aim for about 1.105.
PitchBring the must to 65–68 °F and pitch the rehydrated yeast. Keep the airlock loose for the first few days.
Feed in stepsAdd a quarter of the Fermaid-O at 24, 48, and 72 hours, and the last quarter at the 1/3 sugar break (around 1.070). Degas gently before each addition.
Rack and clearOnce gravity holds steady for a week, rack off the lees into a clean, topped-up carboy. Let it clear for 2–3 months.
Stabilize and finishStabilize with potassium sorbate and metabisulfite, then backsweeten to taste if you want it sweeter than 1.012. Bottle when brilliantly clear.
Brewer's note. This is a plain mead, so honey choice is everything. Try the same recipe with orange blossom or meadowfoam and compare.
Recipe by White Shed Meadery, Chehalis, Washington. ABV is estimated from gravity: (OG − FG) × 131.25. Scale every ingredient in proportion for larger batches.